Deputy President Kithure Kindiki. Photo | courtesy.
Deputy president Kithure Kindiki Saturday announced that 18 million Kenyans have registered for Social Health Insurance (SHA). Â
Kindiki who spoke in Embu said that the government is pushing to ensure that more Kenyans register to SHA. He said the government will make sure that SHA contribution is equitable.
“Taifa Care registration is free. We will re-look at the Means Testing Tool for Taifa Care to make sure all Kenyans, including boda boda riders, are not disadvantaged in monthly contributions,” said Kindiki.
“SHA registration has been received very well by Kenyans. We are keen on pushing up the numbers to ensure every Kenyan is covered by Taifa Care,” he added.
The DP’s remarks come amid concerns that the SHA system often fails, leaving Kenyans seeking healthcare services in despair.
Another issue that has sparked debate about SHA is the benefits. Some Kenyans have raised concerns that the SHA package does not match the contribution, often forcing patients to dig into their pockets to pay for extra treatments.
SHA Benefits Package For Primary Healthcare
Outpatient cover which includes health education and wellness, counselling, consultation, diagnosis, and other basic treatments is capped at Sh900 per person per year.
For maternity services, SHA caps the package for normal delivery at Sh11,200 and Cesarean section at Sh32,000.
Cancer screening has different tiers. For human papillomavirus (HPV) screening — cervical cancer the package is Sh3,600 and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer in men is Sh1,500 but it’s only for men over 55 years of age.
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 A stool occult blood test, for checking gastrointestinal bleeding, including colorectal cancer, polyps, ulcers, and hemorrhoids is capped at Sh400, while cryotherapy for treatment of diseases like cancer, skin lesions, and pain is Sh3,000.
Other conditions like Thermal ablation for treatment of some cancers is capped at Sh3,000 while LEEP procedure for treatment to remove precancerous cells from the cervix is Sh2,800.
